Males with high levels of the hormone are quicker to make snap judgments when faced with brain teasers, says a Caltech professor

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Updated: 10:53 AM EDT Apr 30, 2017

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WEBVTT WE WILL SEE YOU IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES. DRUG MAKERS SPEND MORE THAN $100 MILLION LAST YEAR TO PROMOTE PRESCRIPTION TESTOSTERONE. TWO YEARS AGO, THE INDUSTRY WAS SPENDING A FRACTION OF THAT, $14 MILLION. THE ADS APPEARED TO BE WORKING IN SALES ARE SOARING BUT CONSUMER REPORTS HAS SERIOUS WARNINGS. MEN WORRY ABOUT THEIR SEXUAL POWER ARE BEING BOMBARDED BY COMMERCIALS PROMOTING TESTOSTERONE. HAVE AN APPETITE FOR ROMANCE. YOU MIGHT HAVE A TREATABLE CONDITION CALLED LOW TESTOSTERONE. YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT AXERON IS THE ONLY UNDERARM TREATMENT FOR LOW-T. CONSUMER REPORTS DOCTOR SAYS DESPITE THE FACT SALES OF TESTOSTERONE TREATMENT TOPS $2 BILLION IN 2012, MOST MEN DON'T NEED IT. EVEN IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION, A TREATMENT WITH TESTOSTERONE IS NOT USUALLY THE ANSWER. ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION ALMOST ALWAYS STEMS FROM OTHER PROBLEMS. IT COULD BE REDUCED BLOOD FLOW, EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS, OR A DRUG SIDE EFFECTS. IS IN TESTOSTERONE TREATMENTS WHICH CAN COST $400 PER MONTH OR MORE HAS SERIOUS RISKS. A STUDY IN THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEMADISON SAYS MEN USING ONE GEL 46%, HAD MORE ARCHITECTS AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS. EVEN STEPHEN COLBERT IS TAKING NOTE. THE BEST PART IS, THIS HIGHLY CONCENTRATED MALE SEX HORMONE DOES NOT HAVE A ONE-SIDED EFFECT. IT HAS DOZENS OF THEM. SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDE WORSENING OF THE ENLARGED PROSTATE AN INCREASE OF PROSTATE CANCER. OTHER SIDE EFFECTS ARE LARGER BREASTS, BLOOD CLOTS IN THE LEGS AND LOWER FERTILITY IN YOUNGER MAN. STARTING TESTOSTERONE IS A BIG DEAL. IT SHOULD ONLY BE DONE AFTER A LONG AND CAREFUL CONVERSATION BETWEEN DOCTOR AND PATIENT. THERE IS ANOTHER CONCERN -- FAMILY MEMBERS BEING ACCIDENTLY

Men who make impulsive decisions can blame testosterone, says study

Males with high levels of the hormone are quicker to make snap judgments when faced with brain teasers, says a Caltech professor

Men with high testosterone levels are more likely to make impulsive decisions, a study conducted by researchers from Caltech, the Wharton School, Western University and ZRT Laboratory concluded last week.

Elevated levels of the hormone/anabolic steroid in men lead them to rely on "their intuitive judgments and reduce cognitive reflection - a decision-making process by which a person stops to consider whether their gut reaction to something makes sense," said scientists.

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"What we found was the testosterone group was quicker to make snap judgments on brain teasers where your initial guess is usually wrong," said Caltech professor Colin Camerer. "The testosterone is either inhibiting the process of mentally checking your work or increasing the intuitive feeling that 'I'm definitely right.'"

The study analyzed 243 males who randomly received either a placebo or testosterone in gel form before taking a "cognitive reflection" test. A math-related task was also given to control for motivation level, basic logic skills and engagement.

The group that received doses of the hormone scored lower than the placebo group by 20 percent. These men also "gave incorrect answers more quickly, and correct answers more slowly than the placebo group."

The results show "a clear and robust causal effect of [testosterone] on human cognition and decision-making," said the authors.

The observed relationship between the hormone and impulsiveness is likely related to the way testosterone enhances confidence in humans, which may increase males' desire for social status.

"We think it works through confidence enhancement. If you're more confident, you'll feel like you're right and will not have enough self-doubt to correct mistakes," explained Camerer.